Internet Censorship Called A Black Eye for Jordan's Tech Sector

Read In

As Ramadan comes to an end, controversy is
building in Jordan over potential internet censorship.

After Jordan's Ministry of Information and
Communication Technology called upon the country's internet service
providers (ISPs) to block pornographic sites, activists and leaders
have continued to speak out against the move. After prominent
blogger Roba Assi initially called the censorship initiative a
"war" on "technologists", Jillian York of the Electronic
Frontier Foundation illustrated why legislation could be "easily
misused and abused," and, early this morning, ex-ICT Minister
Marwan Juma weighed in with a diatribe calling it a "a
black eye for Jordan."

Juma's scathing
status update, published in full below, had reached over 300
shares at time of print, with readers continuing to forward his
comments on why internet censorship would be damaging to the
Hashemite Kingdom.

In a chat with Wamda, Juma further explained the
potential impact on entrepreneurs. "This goes against our
positioning as a country. When you block freedom, you block
thinking. If we're serious about making Jordan an ICT hub, we have
to put our money where our mouth is. The government should be
looking at ways to support entrepreneurship. [With this move], we
are creating the anti-ecosystem."

The Ministry of ICT also moved to offer free software
on their website for
blocking inappropriate content, but a longterm solution would
involve more education, says Juma. "We should be focusing on the
fact that a lot of parents in Jordan don't know how to use
computers. They're afraid of what their kids might be doing, so for
them, [it makes sense to] let someone else to [monitor their
children] on their behalf. It's the worst approach possible. If
anything, we should invest in training people."

A rival
Facebook page against censorship has been gaining in
popularity, reaching 12,000 Likes since its launch on April 17th,
supported by many of Jordan's business leaders and entrepreneurs.
One such entrepreneur is Ata Alqadi, who will host Startup Weekend Amman on
August 30th, to bring aspiring tech startup founders together to
develop web and mobile prototypes in 54 hours.

"This gives the government more power to control the
internet," says Alqadi. "Maybe in the future, people won't be
allowed to build news websites, because it will be deemed 'not
good' for the people. Imagine if Facebook were deemed 'not good';
imagine how many companies live on Facebook."

Critically, he points out, there will be less
incentive to build anything, as it could be shut down by the
government- "international investors won't be as interested in
Jordanian companies."

It's unlikely that any censorship would be put into
law soon, given the latest prime minister's recent resignation and
the general upheaval in Jordan's internal political climate. But
this decision marks a critical juncture for Jordan as it continues
to forge its post-Arab Spring identity amid surrounding turmoil.
Will the Kingdom now lean towards the old-world tactics of some of
its monarchical compatriots, or continue to promote the openness
that helped establish it as a hub for entrepreneurship?

The debate will continue at Amman Tech Tuesday's
upcoming Censorship Edition event on September 4th.

I have an obligation to speak up! Not because I ran the first
company that brought email to jordan, or was one the founders of
Jordan's REACH initiative, and not because I recently served as
Minister of ICT, but because what is taking place in our sector,
namely the attempt to censor the Internet, is simply wrong if not
bone-headed! And I will explain here why:

1. It doesn't work!

Countries who tried to block sites failed and failed miserably!
It costs millions and simply doesn't work! There are VPNs, proxies
and other means to beat imposed blocks so why even try it to start
with? The Internet is like a tidal wave and if you attempt to get
in the way you will be swept aside if not buried alive! In
addition, very often harmless sites get blocked because they may
contain words that are deemed offensive, (such as women's health
sites when they refer to "breast" cancer for example). Basically we
will end up with a complete mess on our hands!

2. There are laws in place already!

There is a cybercrime law in Jordan that specifically addresses
the issue of promoting pornography to minors with stiff penalties
and jail terms! And this is the real threat here and it already has
been addressed. So why complicate matters now?

3. Where do we draw the line?

First it starts with porn and then it could evolve to other
sites or issues that are deemed offensive! We are opening a
pandora's box here that will be impossible to close. And if we
block sites do we want to block email that contains adult images
and videos? Or block satellite TV that contains nudity? Where do we
draw the line here?

4. The government is NOT our baby sitter!

Parents should be concerned with their kids welfare and what
they do on the web and not the government! This is George Orwell's
Big Brother in its ugliest form! And while we are at it, why stop
at porn? Why not let the government block Sony Playstation and
Nintendo because our kids are playing games for hours or even
Facebook because it distracts them from their studies! Is this what
we really want? The government to act as our baby sitter? The only
control that works is parental control, and mothers and fathers
need to be aware what their kids are doing at all times, whether
online or offline. If anything, we should invest in educating
parents since the fear of the unknown is what we need to
collectively fight. Instead of wasting millions on futile attempts
to censor and block sites why not invest the same amount to train
and educate parents so they can make more educated and intelligent
decisions?

5. Control should be at the user level!

The Internet should be free and untouched and those who want
clean and filtered Internet can request it from their service
provider, (and accordingly pay for the service), or download one of
the hundred apps, (free otherwise), that already exist to block
porn.

6. It infringes on freedoms!

In the age of openness and in the midst of the Arab Spring, do
we really want governments to infringe on our freedoms?! If a
certain mature individual opts to download porn in their own
private setting well it is their prerogative, and no one has the
right to interfere here! Pure and simple!

7. It damages our IT industry!

Jordan's IT industry, which has become a real success story with
Amman often labeled as the Silicon Valley of the Middle East, was
built on the premise that the Internet is open and without
restrictions. Government intervention will send the worst possible
message to investors and major companies who chose Jordan as their
hub and will scare away potential new players. And in these tough
economic times we really can't afford to inflict damage on one of
Jordan's few bright spots and major source of high end
employment!

8. It is a black eye for Jordan at the worst time possible!

In the midst of a region of control freaks and enemies of the
web, Jordan has been the shining example of openness and freedom,
resulting in many investments that enabled us to build our
flourishing industry. And now almost 20 years later, and after
serving as a model for the rest of the Middle East, we want to go
back in time to the dark ages and put our heads in the sand, and at
the worst possible time ever! This is what is often referred to as
a self inflicted wound!

For these reasons, I am 100% against this latest stunt, and for
these reasons I chose to speak up! We have many other issues of
major concern that require our attention and focus. Let us keep the
Internet open and free and maintain Jordan's position as a vanguard
in the IT industry and protect our image as a country of openness
and tolerance.